Enjoy!
ISBN-13:
9781335007681
Publisher: Harlequin
Release Date: 6-11-2019
Length:
368pp
Summer Camp #2
Source:
Harlequin/Netgalley for review
ADD TO: GOODREADS
Overview:
When single mom Joy Lee abandoned her old life to take a job at a lakeside resort, she found something that her family’s wealth and influence could never buy: peace of mind. Not easy to come by for the once-burned divorcée who keeps everyone at a distance. But when her new friend, Maris, dares her to take a chance with the drive-in’s charismatic new owner, everything changes for Joy and her young son.
A difficult childhood has left Maris Kennedy with definite priorities. Her job running Summer’s End, the camp store and café, comes first. Always. Nothing could ever make her risk that hard-won security—especially not her free-spirited colleague. But the more she encourages Joy to open herself up to new experiences, the more Maris begins to wonder what she, too, might be missing.
Learning how to trust will bring Joy and Maris together. And soon they form a friendship that leaves them as close as sisters—and open to love where they least expect it…in Summer’s End.
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Read an excerpt:
After dropping her son off at school, Joy Lee returned to
Cooper’s Charm, the RV resort where she worked and lived. It was backtracking
since she had an appointment near the school later this morning, but it
wouldn’t do to show up a half hour early.
Actually, nothing in the small
town of Woodbine, Ohio was too far away. In fifteen minutes she could drive to
the school, the park, the grocery…or visit the new owner of the drive-in, who
she’d be meeting today.
Hopefully Mr. Nakirk would
continue to work with her. As the recreation director of the park, she and the
past owner had put together various events with a lot of success. Halloween
was coming up and she didn’t want to have to completely restructure a tried and
true camper favorite.
Coming through the grand
entry of the resort, Joy couldn’t help but admire the beauty of it. She’d been
seeing the same gorgeous scenery for six years now, yet it never failed to
soothe her.
She’d found peace here, a kind
of peace she hadn’t known existed. Now she couldn’t imagine living anywhere
else.
Large trees, currently wearing
their fall colors, lined the property and served to add privacy to the costlier
campsites.
A wooden walk bridge divided a
pond from the large lake. Wooden cabins were scattered about, with plenty of
lots for RVs and level, grassy areas for campers who preferred a tent. Even the
playgrounds were well maintained, colorful and attractive.
Deciding a cup of coffee
wouldn’t hurt, Joy headed for Summer’s End, the camp store. Maris Kennedy, a
woman close to her own age, always had coffee ready. She also worked nonstop
and treated everyone like a friend.
When Joy came into the camp
store, Maris was busy wiping down the tops of the dining booths. She glanced
up and said, “Hey.”
In so many ways, Joy admired
Maris. For one thing, the woman never seemed to tire. She opened early, kept it
open late, and rarely slowed down throughout the day. During the busiest
season, Maris employed part time help, but she handled the bulk of the
responsibility herself.
Maris apparently preferred it
that way.
Another admirable thing? Maris always
managed to look fantastic with her dark blonde hair in a high ponytail and
a shirt at least a size too large over her jeans.
Unfair, but Maris was so
incredibly nice, and she took such great care of all the employees, Joy forgave
her the perfection. “Good morning.”
“Is it?” Maris turned
her gaze to the window. “Ah, sunshine. Better than rain and clouds, right?
Coffee?”
Joy hated to pull her away from
her task. “Yes, but I could—”
“I’ll get it.” Toting her little
carrier of cleaning supplies, Maris headed to the kitchen. Joy heard her wash
her hands, and then a moment later she reappeared with two cups. “I just made a
fresh pot.”
Of course she had. Smiling, Joy
shook her head.
The café in Summer’s End offered
a menu of sandwiches, soups, and daily specials. Positioned on the walls behind
the seating area, packed shelves held basic grocery necessities and emergency
items, as well as things like pool floats, sunscreen and fishing tackle.
Campers didn’t have to leave the park once they arrived, and if they didn’t
want to make use of the grills, Maris always had something to eat.
Joy took a sip of the coffee,
fixed just the way she liked it, and sighed.
Instead of moving on to another
chore, Maris stood there with her own coffee. “I’m wondering something.”
“Oh?” She and Maris were
friendly; Maris was too nice for anyone not to be friendly with her. But
Joy wouldn’t say they were close.
Sadly, it had become Joy’s habit
to keep some measure of distance from everyone.
“How the hell do you always look
so put together?”
Surprised by the question, Joy
looked down at her cotton skirt and button up sweater. “It’s a casual skirt.”
At least five years old, like the majority of her wardrobe. She’d updated only
a few pieces since moving to the park.
“Yeah, but everything
you wear looks like it came from a fashion magazine. Always, no matter what,
you’re styled head to toe. There are days I can barely get my hair into a
ponytail, and yet you never have a wrinkle.”
Feeling suddenly self conscious,
as well as amused by the irony, Joy laughed.
“Why’s that funny?” Maris asked,
looking genuinely curious.
It wasn’t like Maris to linger,
so Joy hastily explained, “I was literally just thinking how great you always
look. Especially your ponytail! No matter what’s going on, you…glow.”
“Me?” Maris snorted. “Glow?”
Even more embarrassed and
feeling completely out of her element, Joy explained, “You don’t need makeup or
anything. You always look fresh, even when you’ve been working all day. There’s
an energy about you.” A wholesomeness that few other women could pull off. It
was probably attitude as much as appearance that was responsible for that vibe.
Maris personified friendliness, but she owned the space around her in a way
Joy could never manage. “Believe me, the natural look works for you.”
When Maris laughed, it made her
even prettier, but before Joy could say so, she asked, “So what are you up to
today?”
Hmmm. Had Maris just deflected?
Maybe she was as uncomfortable with compliments as Joy. “Meeting the new owner
of the drive-in.”
“That’s right. I heard it
changed hands.”
“Very recently,” Joy confirmed.
“Heard the new guy was a
gorgeous hunk, too.”
“You…what?” Joy sputtered. A
gorgeous hunk? Definitely not what she’d hoped for, although it absolutely
wouldn’t matter. A man’s appeal meant nothing to her—and good thing, since the
guys at the park were all very handsome in varying ways. “Who told you that?”
“I’m like a bartender, you
know?” Maris bobbed her eyebrows. “Everyone talks to me. You should try it
sometime.”
Generally the small town
shared everything about every
thing. If a squirrel dropped a
nut, someone announced it and the gossip spread like wildfire-though Joy was
usually the last to hear it since she didn’t cultivate those close
relationships. Maybe she should chat with Maris more, if for no other
reason than to keep up on current affairs in Woodbine. “I don’t know about the
hunk part since I haven’t met him yet, but it’s not an issue. My only interest
is—”
“In recreation for the park, I
know.” Maris rolled her eyes in a playful way. “But there are all kinds of
recreation, and I’m thinking you should try the kind that involves a man.”
A nervous laugh trickled out.
Since when was Maris Kennedy interested in her lack of a love life? Joy’s next
thought was whether or not the lack was that obvious.
Did she seem…lonely? Or, oh God,
needy?
No, Maris more than anyone else
at the park understood that a woman didn’t need a man to complete her. Joy’s
life was already full, thank you very much.
To keep things friendly, Joy
said with a smile, “Jack gets all my free time. I don’t even know when I’d fit
in a date.” Just to clarify, she added, “Not that anyone is asking.”
“Hello,” Maris said. “You
realize you have a big old blinking not available sign on you, right?
Guys would ask”-she pinched the air—”if you’d give them just a teeny tiny bit
of encouragement.”
“But I don’t want to encourage
anyone. I mean, not for that reason.”
“Why not? Jack’s in school now, so
don’t tell me you can’t eek out an hour or two.”
“Hmm. Well, I guess technically I could…” Joy sat at the counter, and finished with, “but I won’t.”
“Hmm. Well, I guess technically I could…” Joy sat at the counter, and finished with, “but I won’t.”
My Interview with Lori:
Lori hi! Welcome back to The Reading Frenzy.
I loved Sisters of Summer’s End will you tell my readers a bit about it?
I loved Sisters of Summer’s End will you tell my readers a bit about it?
Thank
you so much! SoSE is set in an RV resort at the end of summer (naturally – you
could tell that by the title!) and it’s about the growing friendship of two of
the women who work there, who’ve known each other for a while. There are
catalysts in their lives that make them open to change – and open to growing
friendship. Along the way they learn to trust – and to love again, with a
little help from a sister. ;-)
What was the inspiration for this particular series?
I’m
all about people being supportive of each other, in trying to see the good and
forgiving mistakes. Sometimes in life, though, there are unforgiveable
situations – and when those happen, it helps to have someone who totally “gets”
you, who has your back, pushing you when you need it, hugging you when you’re
down, and laughing with you over the silliest things. That’s what I wanted to convey in this story
– you can make it alone, but life is easier if you aren’t.
This is book 2 in your summer resort series.
a- Tell us how these books are connected and will fans reconnect with the characters from Cooper’s Charm?
a- Tell us how these books are connected and will fans reconnect with the characters from Cooper’s Charm?
The
stories are related strictly by characters you’ve met (and some you haven’t)
and location. That’s it. There’s no plot overlap at all.
b- Should they be read in order?
Eh,
I always like to read in order, but out of order they’d still make perfect
sense. You’d just see the first couples together already in SoSE. J
c- Do you know how many books in the series are
planned?
Those
two only, actually. With two storylines in each, that’s four relationships. I
hope readers are left satisfied!
There are some cute pups front and center on the
covers of both the books in the series.
Are dogs featured prominently in the books?
Are dogs featured prominently in the books?
Dogs
are featured in almost all my books – and occasionally a cat or two. I’m a huge
animal lover, and rescuing a pet is a good way to bring characters together –
plus it has the added benefit of showing their compassion. J
You usually have more than one series going at a time.
How do you keep everyone separate?
How do you keep everyone separate?
Wellll,
I do go a little crazy on occasion. I’m one of those people who wants to finish
everything NOW. Patience is not my strong suit, which is funny, considering it
takes me 3 months to write a book. Anyway, back to separate series...
I
keep cheat sheets for myself. They’re all about characteristics, locations,
cars, houses, towns... anything I might need to know at a glance to refresh my
often flagging memory. When I open up a manuscript to work, I also open my
character document/cheat sheet.
I
like bouncing back and forth so that I don’t get too stale in any one “world.”
I bore easily, and this way, it often feels fresh when I’m writing.
Lori Thanks a bunch for answering my questions.
Good luck with the new book.
Are you touring with this release?
Good luck with the new book.
Are you touring with this release?
Thank
you so much! I love any and all opportunities to connect with readers.
I’ll
be signing Sisters of Summer’s End at my own event (it’s in its 15th
year – www.ReaderAuthorGetTogether.com ) plus at Turn
The Page July 20th and Readers On The River Sept 13 & 14.
Thank
you again. Happy reading!
My review of Sisters of Summer's End:
Sisters of Summer’s End
Lori Foster
Lori Foster
Welcome to Cooper’s Charm, the RV resort with everything
even a romance or two.
The Sisters of Summer’s End, book two in Lori’s fantastic Summer Resort
series is a great summer read even though it takes place in the fall. Set in
Cooper’s Charm RV resort it brings back the characters of book one, but delves
more deeply into the lives of Joy, Maris and Daron plus introduces us to new
drive-in owner Royce.
As Lori unpeels the layers of her star characters for this novel she’ll
focus on misconceptions, new beginnings and families whether chosen or born
into while spinning two fabulous love stories and introduces a new fab four
legged friend.
The plot is rock solid, the pace is steady and both the human and
canine characters rock making this a must read for fans of romance or women’s
fiction and a great choice for either your vacation or staycation This novel
stands on its own but reading the books in order will fill in all the blanks
Joy Lee is used to being alone, relying only on herself to
care for herself and her young son Jack but since coming to Cooper’s Charm the
RV resort where she works as the recreation director and lives she’s found a
sort of family, especially Maris owner/operator of the camp store, Summer’s End
whose become like a sister. So when the new hunky owner of the Drive-In wakes
up her libido she’s glad she’s got Maris to confide in.
Royce Nakirck has big plans for the run down Drive-In
theatre he bought right next to a successful RV resort. He also needs to focus
just on himself after years of caring for his dying mother. He’s not looking
for love or a ready made family. But sometimes you get things you don’t ask
for.
Maris Kennedy needs to be self-reliant because of how she
grew up. She loves Cooper’s Charm and is very proud of the success of her camp
store. What she doesn’t need is the park’s hot young playboy handyman sniffing
around as she has no desire to be a notch on someone’s bedpost. But what if
she’s wrong about him? Is she brave enough to take a chance? She’s just glad
she’s now got Joy her new BFF to ask about it.
Daron Hardy is about out of options and ideas to gain a
second look from the sexy camp-store owner. He just wants a chance to prove to
her that he’s more than she thinks he is.
About the Author
Lori Foster is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author with
books from a variety of publishers, including Berkley/Jove, Kensington, St.
Martin's, Harlequin and Silhouette. Lori has been a recipient of the
prestigious RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic
Fantasy, and for Contemporary Romance. For more about Lori, visit her Web site
at www.lorifoster.com.
Author
Links
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A delightful summer escape which I would enjoy. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI've read Lori Foster before but haven't read this one and it sounds good.
ReplyDeleteit is
DeleteThis looks so good and I loved the interview! Hope I win because I've been meaning to try this author. ;) Thanks for the chance!!
ReplyDeletegood luck and fingers crossed Ali!
DeleteReally sounds good, I like that this book mentions the previous characters of book one, too many series books never link except for place which I happen not to like. And two books in the series - this writer knows what goes together well! Loved the interview.
ReplyDeletethanks Kathryn
DeleteAwww yes I would read this. And read books in that things too
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteGreat interview, sounds like a good read!
ReplyDeleteit really is
DeleteI had fun with theses books and the campground. Fantastic interview Debbie :)
ReplyDeleteI know you did Kim, she is one fantastic romance writer
DeleteI've read a few lori foster books and loved them
ReplyDeleteyeah she's super Natasha
DeleteGreat interview and book review Debbie! I love that each book has two love stories in one and the theme of life is better with someone to help you through everything. I can't believe Lori can write a book in three months. It would be hard for me to do that and keep everything straight when writing more than one book at a time. I've read quite a few books by Lori Foster and enjoyed them. Her books are guaranteed good reads!
ReplyDeleteLindy@ A Bookish Escape
Thanks Lindy and yes authors like her and Roberts etc just amaze me
DeleteExcellent interview. This book looks very interesting.
ReplyDelete